Vapor electric device.



P. C. HEWITT. VAPOR ELECTRIC DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED D30. 6, 1910.

1,664,689, Patented June 10', 1913 ATTC'HNE) niv rnn s'riifrns Parana orrion.

PETER COOPER HEWITT, OF BINGWOOD MANOR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO COOPER HEWITT ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEVJ JERSEY.

VAPOR ELECTRIC DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1 i 913.

I Application filed December 6, 1910. Serial No. 595,948.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Coornn Hnwrr'r, a citizen of the, United States, and resident of Ringwood Manor, county of Passaic,

State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor Electric Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of electric apparatus in which the conducting medium is a vapor or gas.

The apparatus may be used as a lamp or source of light or for various other purposes.

In certain patents issued to me on the 17th day of September, 1901, for example, United States Patent Number 682,690 and 682,695, I have described various forms of vapor or gas electric lamps, and the present invention relates more particularly to means for corn veniently starting and operating lamps or other gas or vapor electric apparatus in which the phenomena at the negative electrode constitute an important part of the resistance to starting. y

I have found that in a devicehaving a vapor or gas path intervening between the negative and positive electrode, under con tain conditions of purity, there is an apparent reluctance on the part of the current to enter the negative electrode. I have further found that the tendency of the current is to assume a path between the positive electrode and that portion of the negative electrode which is remote therefrom. For instance, in a tube of considerable length constituting the inclosing chamber of the device, if a conducting rod constituting an. extension of the negative electrode be extended through a considerable portion of the length of the tube, the current will enter the negative electrode at a point, generally speaking, as remote as possible from the positive electrode, instead or" traversing the extended conductor. The exact explanation of this phenomenon is not essential to a' description of my invention. From experiments which I have made, however, Lbelieve that it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that the currents tends to remain in the vapor path as long as possible. before entering the negative electrode. I

For the purpose of starting the device, I sometimesemploy some special means for overcoming the initial reluctance of the ourrent to traverse the space immediately surrounding the negative electrode. I have found, however, that by making an actual electrical contact between the positive and negative electrodes and then separating the two while current 1s flowing, it will continue to flow under the influence of a modcrate difl'erence'of potential, the negative resistance phenomenon to starting having thus been eliminated. I avail myself ofthe phenomenon of the reluctance of the current to enter the negative electrode by ex' tcndingthe negative electrode of the device to apolnt near the positive electrode and providing means for first bringing the two electrodes into electrical contact and then causing a break or open space to be made between the two whereupon the current which is first established at the junction is caused by the phenomenon to pass throu h the vapor and immediatelytraverse the device, entering thegnegative electrode remote from the positive electrode. Many difi erent means may be employed for securin'gthe I initial contact between the electrodes and obtaining the break in the continuity Y thereof.

For purposes of illustration I mayselect an apparatus containing mercury as the negative electrode, and I may cause a rod of some conducting material to pass from the negative electrode into and through a considerable length of vapor, that is to say,

through practically the entire operating Var; por path; In electrical contact with the re-;

mote end of this rod, I may bring the posi? tive electrode (which may be Iofiron other suitable material), and I may arrange by a magnet or solenoid outside the inclosing vessel of the lamp or by rotating the apparatus may cause gravity to act. By including the two electrodes in the circuit of the magnet 01' S0l8!10ld, when the electrodes action upon the movable part itself, the desameillustratingtwo different positions of the positive electrode at 2, the same being 'trode 6 and when the apparatus is not in are in Contact, I may cause the initial current passing through the contacting elec trodes to separate the contacts and to bring abou h on tion in which the current solects the vapor path instead of the path through the solid extension of the negative electrode. Other means of separating the electrodes may be, employed,

Instead. of moving one or the other of the electrodes within the apparatus by direct i ed separation of the relatively movable parts may be brought about by a movement of the container either by hand or by automatic moans.

This feature of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figural is a longitudinal section of a vapor apparatus enibodying'lny' invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sections of the the apparatus; and Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 2, showing also automatic means for moving the body of the device.

In the drawing, the, container, which may conveniently be of glass,- is shown at 1, and

in the form of a ring so connected to the in} ner end of the lead-wire, 3, as to be practically hinged thereto whereby the ring maybe dro ped by gravity intol difl'erent posi-' diepending upon the position of the sists of an eye, 4, on the inner end of the lead-wire 3 and a, coiiperating eye, 5, formed on the ring 2.'

The negative electrode is shown at 6 and is provided with a suitable lead-wire, 7, for connection with the outside circuit.

Through the apparatus extends a conducting rod, 8, suitably supported at its ends, and if need be at one or more intermediate points. This rod is connected by a wire or other conductor, 9, with the negative e] ecoperation it may be turned so that the positive electrode 2, of ring form, will drop into contact with the conductor 8, as clearly shown in Fig.,2. Should current now be turned on in the tube circuit, it will flow through the apoaratusbctween the leadwire 2 and the lead-wire 7, by way of the ring electrode 2, the conductors 8 and 9 and v the negative electrode 6. To start the ap' paratus into operation, the-container 1 may be moved by hand or otherwise so as to bring of December A. .D. 1910',

the lead-wire 3 to the top of the apparatus,

under which circumstances the ring electrode.2 will occupyltheposition illustrated in Fig; 3, where the ring is no longer in contact with the conductor 8, havin been separated therefrom 'by the described move:

ment of the container.

In Fig. 4, the container may be moved automatically by means of an electric magnet comprising a coil, 16, surrounding a core, 12, and acting upon an armature, 12", attached in any suitable manner to the container and adapted to rotate it slightly upon its axis in response to the attraction of the core 12, the coillG being included in the circuit leading to the ring electrode It is found that the separation thus caused, by first establishing a flow of current through aportion of the vapor between the conductor 8 and the ring conductor 2, the original e t n e to tartingwhich obtains in apparatlls Of this class is broken down and the flow h .v extends through substantially the entire vapor path between the main positive and negative electrodes.

The present application is a continuation turing the said internal circuit when the magnet is energized.

2. The combination of a vapor electric lamp movably supported in a substantially horizontal position, with positive meansfor moving the lamp out of its normal position by rocking it around an axis of motion parallelvto the axis of the lamp. r

The combination of a tubular mercury vapor apparatus supported in an approximately horizontal position and having electrodes near its respective ends and means for turning it around a horizontal axis.'

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New WM, H. Carlin, THOS; H. BROWN.

York this 5th day 

